Across the globe people are taking to the streets, to mention a few, Haiti, Ecuador, Chile, France, and elsewhere, now Catalunya, the demands may differ, but they all have something in common, dissatisfaction with the system. A realisation that the system isn't delivering what it says it will, it is not meeting the demands of the vast majority of the people.
Catalunya: A Week of Escalation
Could the Riots Open a Horizon Beyond National Sovereignty?
Starting Monday, in response to draconian sentences imposed on
politicians who promote Catalan independence, tens of thousands of
people across Catalunya have engaged in sustained rioting and disruption.
Although the majority of the movement remains pacifistic, a few
thousand participants have rejected the leadership of political parties
and organizations, opting for open confrontation with police. The
various mobilizations are still taking place in confluence, however,
making it very difficult for the police to control. Protesters have reportedly used
caltrops, Molotov cocktails, and paint balloons to disable police riot
vans, while keeping individual officers at a distance with lasers and
slingshots and driving away helicopters with fireworks. In the following
report, we review the events of the past week and explore what is at
stake in this struggle.
As anarchists, we have a more robust conception of self-determination than mere national sovereignty. All governments
are based on the asymmetry of power between ruler and ruled;
nationalism is just one of several means by which rulers seek to turn us
against each other so we don’t unite against them. We consider it
instructive that the Catalan police have worked closely with Spanish
national police throughout the last several years of repression; even if
Catalunya gains independence, we are certain that independent Catalan
police and courts will continue to repress those who fight against
capitalism and seek true self-determination. At the same time, there is a
longstanding tradition of anarchist and anti-state activity in
Catalunya, and we are inspired to see some of this coming to the fore in
resistance to the violence of the Spanish state. It is possible that
the latest escalation of conflict in the streets of Catalunya will be a
step towards the radicalization of the entire movement and the
delegitimizing of state solutions.
Let’s look closer to see.
A detailed day to day report on the events:
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